After admitting on the "This American Life" radio program that he had fabricated some of his experiences for dramatic purposes, artist Mike Daisey has changed his monologue about Apple and its manufacturing partner Foxconn to remove anything he can't "stand behind."

Update: Daisey has posted a recording of the new prologue from his performance on Sunday.

Associated Press drama writer Mark Kennedy reported on Saturday that Daisey had decided to add a prologue at the beginning of the show, which carries the title "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," and cut out some fictional elements.

According to the report, the Public Theater's artistic director Oskar Eustis said that the artist had "eliminated anything he doesn't feel he can stand behind" and placed a new segment at the beginning to provide "the best possible frame we could give the audience for the controversy." He also noted that the decision to make the changes was solely made by Daisey.

"Mike is a great storyteller, not a journalist. I wish he had been clearer about that distinction in the making of this piece," Eustis told the publication. "If we had understood the rules Mike was using to make the show, we would have framed it differently from the outset."

Daisey's monologue recounted a trip that he took to China to visit a Foxconn factory where he claimed to have met underage workers and injured workers who hadn't received medical attention.

The production shot into the limelight after "This American Life" aired an episode about Daisey in January. The broadcast became the most downloaded episode of the show and prompted a number of consumers and non-profit groups to start petitions calling for Apple and Foxconn to improve working conditions in China.

However, journalist Rob Schmitz managed to contact Daisey's interpreter and confirm that several incidents he claimed to have experienced were false. For its part, "This American Life" had performed its own fact checking of Daisey's story, but they did not contact his interpreter because he told the show that her name was Anna and he didn't know how to reach her.

"This American Life" host Ira Glass issued on Friday a retraction of the January episode. The retraction was the first of its kind for the show.

"Daisey lied to me and 'This American Life' producer Brian Reed during the fact checking we did on the story, before it was broadcast," Glass wrote in a statement. "That doesn't excuse the fact that we never should've put this on the air. In the end, it was our mistake."

The New York Times subsequently corrected its own piece on Daisey from last year, removing a paragraph about which "questions have been raised" about its truthfulness.

In a statement on Friday, Daisey originally said that he stood by his work. "It uses a combination of fact, memoir, and dramatic license to tell its story, and I believe it does so with integrity," he said, adding that his only regret is that he allowed "This American Life" to air an excerpt of his monologue.

The new version of the monologue now makes mention of the fact that Daisey's translator "does not remember things which he does remember," Eustis said.

Daisey has born the brunt of sharp criticism from veterans within the theater industry. For instance, The Wall Street Journal's chief theater critic Terry Teachout called Daisey's deceptions "unforgivable."

Others have worked to bring the focus back on the plight of the workers, dismissing Daisey's inaccuracies as irrelevant to the issue of alleged labor abuses at Foxconn and other manufacturers in China.

Apple has refused to comment on the controversy surrounding the monologue. CEO Tim Cook did, however, dismiss the show last February at an annual shareholder meeting. At the time, Cook reassured investors that Apple has "the highest standards" for worker safety and environmental friendliness.

Anyone remember that Renault spying brouhaha in France, how heads rolled?.
And How French government went full charge loaded blaming China?

Why you can lie against a comapny like Apple or any other similar in the USA and nothing happens to you?

: Something is wrong.

The laws covering libel and defamation are stricter in Europe. Here it is often non-existent due to the first amendment. Not that many cases have been awarded to the plantifs; you'd have to show that you got material damage, irreparable etc. Not easy for apple to prove that.

After admitting on the "This American Life" radio program that he had fabricated some of his experiences for dramatic purposes, artist Mike Daisey has changed his monologue about Apple and its manufacturing partner Foxconn to remove anything he can't "stand behind."

I wonder who would pay to see a 10 second show?

Better than my Bose, better than my Skullcandy's, listening to Mozart through my LeBron James limited edition PowerBeats by Dre is almost as good as my Sennheisers.

And by "stand behind" I guess he means anything that hasn't already been directly contradicted.

I particularly laughed at this bit:

Quote:

The new version of the monologue now makes mention of the fact that Daisey's translator "does not remember things which he does remember," Eustis said.

Following this:

Quote:

However, journalist Rob Schmitz managed to contact Daisey's interpreter and confirm that several incidents he claimed to have experienced were false. For its part, "This American Life" had performed its own fact checking of Daisey's story, but they did not contact his interpreter because he told the show that her name was Anna and he didn't know how to reach her.

This guy's credibility is so shot that nothing he says can be believed.

Yep, it is all about the money... Daisey was making $$$$$$ from this and "This American Life" was making $$$$$$$$$$ from this. (Public Radio and Ira Glass are for PROFIT - maybe not actual dollars for these two but certainly reputation and success in fund raising!!!)

So, profit wins over truth - every time! I listened to the "retraction" this weekend. Ira and company did give Daisey opportunity for retraction and asked "tough" questions AND then spent 20 minutes whining that they had been used. AND THEN spent 20 minutes trying to show how "most" of Daisey's monolog was "substantially correct."

They were squirming like a worm on a hook and like most over-the-hill organizations applying MAJOR spin doctor techniques to make it look "as good as possible." Desperate damage control!!!

The subtext:
"See how honest we are. We were USED and by the way we weren't that dishonest. We found a way to look BIG by attacking the most successful company on the planet. And look how we were able to damage it. Aren't we important?" ??!??!

Early christmas: having this pig sued for all the money he made plus extras... joy...

It is not because it involved Apple or not... just because that kind of crap should NEVER just go with a "rewrite" of the mess... He did it for money, now... get ready for loose everything you made plus interest...

No offense to any of the members here, but I've always felt that bringing someone's physical features into an argument against someone lessens their point. It's easy to drag Mr Daisey's weight into this, but his 'story' has given us enough ammunition to not even involve his body in our attacks.

I'd love to see Apple sue him for defamation, but I feel that would only drag them down to his level. Hopefully, the court of public opinion has judged him in a way suiting his actions.

No offense to any of the members here, but I've always felt that bringing someone's physical features into an argument against someone lessens their point. It's easy to drag Mr Daisey's weight into this, but his 'story' has given us enough ammunition to not even involve his body in our attacks.

I'd love to see Apple sue him for defamation, but I feel that would only drag them down to his level. Hopefully, the court of public opinion has judged him in a way suiting his actions.

I agree. Besides note nothing if his obesity is due to a medical condition beyond his control or from gluttony and sloth any argument one that attacks his physical appearance is less for it.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

Sure. Just as soon as all those deriding Michael Moore link to a legitimate news source that he is a liar.

Mike Daisey and Michael Moore are as different as night and day, because Michael Moore is all about seeking out the lies of others while Mike Daisey is all about lying to support his own particular bias. In that regard, Mike Daisey is much more akin to Rush Limbaugh.

Of course, the political machinizations of the various modern-era brownshirts posting here and elsewhere wouldn't be served by making a correct comparison....

Quote:
Originally Posted by markbyrn
He must get his inspirations from Michael Moore.

Thank you both for identifying yourselves as card-carrying members of the Fourth Reich. Comparing Mr. Moore to that lying slimeball is the epitome of right wing crap talk.

You've taken a critically important issue for Apple's future and dragged it in the mud for your own crass political purposes. To say I despise you both would put it mildly.

Sorry pal, I loathe the right wing crap talk as much as I loathe Michael Moore - equally vile and contemptible. If it will make you happy, I'll say that Mike Daisey also gets his inspirations from Rush Limbaugh. Limbuaugh, Moore, and Daisey are theatrical propagandists and any truth gets lost in the bombast.

Sorry pal, I loathe the right wing crap talk as much as I loathe Michael Moore - equally vile and contemptible. If it will make you happy, I'll say that Mike Daisey also gets his inspirations from Rush Limbaugh. Limbuaugh, Moore, and Daisey are theatrical propagandists and any truth gets lost in the bombast.

What'll make me happy is if you take your political claptrap to any of the multitudinous sites where it would be more appropriate.

After admitting on the "This American Life" radio program that he had fabricated some of his experiences for dramatic purposes, artist Mike Daisey has changed his monologue about Apple and its manufacturing partner Foxconn to remove anything he can't "stand behind."[ View article on AppleInsider ]

So, apparently, now he just mimes???

BTW, there's plenty about the guy's approach to criticise, without basing your rebuttals on his weight. Commenting on his ample substance sorta reveals a lack of substance in your views, when you do so.

I don't think we've seen a clearer case of libel in a long, long time. Purposefully misrepresented information and presented it as fact that has hurt Apple financially. No wonder the people around him are panicking, they know a giant monetary settlement is coming.

Others have worked to bring the focus back on the plight of the workers, dismissing Daisey's inaccuracies as irrelevant to the issue of alleged labor abuses at Foxconn and other manufacturers in China.

Amazed that no one commented on the fact that the don't-bother-me-with-the facts-my-mind-is-made-up crowd is undeterred by truth. By ignoring facts, they weaken their position beyond the damage done by Daisey's falsehoods. I wonder, does the NYT qualify as an other with their weak modification to their original story? That's probably OK to keep on since Daisey seems to cling to the lies when he says his translator doesn't remember what he does. I guess calling her a liar would be too ironic!

What'll make me happy is if you take your political claptrap to any of the multitudinous sites where it would be more appropriate.

So you're saying that Apple's use of cheap labor in China via Foxconn is not a political issue? I beg to differ but it seems that many people bashing on Apple 'conveniently' forget that Apple is among among a vast multitude of corporations that use use labor in China and other developing countries. Also, it's not just computer technology; clothes, shoes, food, appliances, and so forth. Apple has indeed a political target for people like Daisey and Michael Moore if you read his website.